Recipe: Stir-Fried Bok Choy

Stir-Fried Bok Choy

Makes 4 to 6 servings as part of a multi-course meal.

Nearly every family stir-fries bok choy year round, but it is also prized as a vegetable for special occasions such as New Year's. The mastery here is in choosing young, tender bok choy no longer than 4-inches in length. Or occasionally you can be lucky enough to find hearts of bok choy, bok choy sum, in the produce market. These vegetables are so tender that unlike the older bok choy the stalks do not need to be peeled. Stir-fry the vegetables on high heat just until the greens are bright and the stalks are tender. A minute too much and the vegetables lose their essence. Bok choy found in Western supermarkets is often old and past its prime, while the quality available in Asian markets is far superior and much less expensive.

1 pound young bok choy
2 tablespoons homemade chicken broth
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons thin soy sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1-1/2 plus 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 ginger slices
1 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

Mama prepares bok choy, removing flowers

Separate the bok choy into stalks. Wash bok choy in several changes of cold water and allow to thoroughly drain in a colander. Trim 1/4-inch from the bottom of each stalk. Halve each stalk lengthwise and cut bok choy into 2-inch-long pieces. In a bowl combine the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, tapioca starch, and sugar.

Heat a wok over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil and ginger, and stir-fry for 10 seconds, or until ginger is fragrant. Add remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, bok choy, and garlic, and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until leaves are just limp and bok choy is bright green. Restir the broth mixture and swirl into wok.

Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly and lightly coats the vegetables. Serve immediately.

For more information visit graceyoung.com.

The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen
Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing
By Grace Young
Published by Simon & Schuster Editions
Hardback, $27.50
Publication date: May 1999
ISBN: 0-684-84739-6
Recipe Reprinted by permission.